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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24260713">In the Clutch</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomsherlocka/pseuds/boomsherlocka'>boomsherlocka</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Aftermath of the Rock Pile [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Men's Hockey RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Lemieux Family - Freeform, M/M, Were!Penguins, cup magic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:41:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24260713</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomsherlocka/pseuds/boomsherlocka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dinner at the Lemieux house.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Aftermath of the Rock Pile [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1725439</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>77</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In the Clutch</h2></a>
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                  <p>Sid smiled as he watched Alexa trail after Nikita, looking worried. It didn't seem that long ago that he would do the same for Mario's kids when he first was drafted. They were all grown now, off living their own lives and doing great things. Still, being in the Lemieux home had always felt like home to him, and he supposed it always would. </p>
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                  <p>It had taken Geno a little longer to warm up. He had been so intimidated when he had first came over for dinner, hardly knowing any English and still jittery from his harrowing journey to America. Now they had been over enough that he wasn't instantly on edge and fumbling over his words when he saw Mario and Nathalie, but sometimes Sid did have to remind himself that to Geno, this was more of a boss than a dad. </p>
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                  <p>When he'd first moved in, Mario had sat him down with a very serious look on his face. "So. Sid. You should know coming in that the guys who won the Cup back to back last... there was a little magic involved. A sacrifice. And that's something that if we're going to do it again, you'll have to understand." </p>
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                  <p>Sid had nodded solemnly. "Like... what kind of magic?" he asked hesitantly. He had heard his dad talk about how the Cup sometimes gave gifts, and sometimes took gifts. </p>
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                  <p>Mario had sighed, a wry smile on his face. "It's better if I show you." </p>
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                  <p>Mario was was of the only Emperor penguins Sid had seen, though he supposed there might be more out there that had retired from that original roster. Most of the guys from their back to back run were smaller species, loud and social. It was hard on them when they got traded away to other teams, not having a whole group of guys who go through the same weird thing every month and crave sushi all the time and would gather pretty rocks to take back home to their wives or girlfriends on occasion.</p>
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                  <p>Okay, only some of them did that. But still. </p>
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                  <p>Mario's magic was a little more finicky than theirs. If he stayed in a climate that was below about 10 and his body temperature dipped too low poof, he was a penguin. It didn't matter where the moon was, it didn't matter the time of year, it just mattered if he stayed cold for too long. The new guys always poked fun at Mario when he showed up all bundled up at family skates, but his children were always more than happy to regale them all with the tale of when their father had lost track of time and had to be carted home in the backseat with a blanket thrown over his head because he'd turned into a penguin and they didn't have time to get him warmed up before they needed to get home. </p>
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                  <p>Mario always frowned when they told the story, but Sid could tell it amused him too. </p>
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                  <p>Mario soon became Geno's favorite person in the depth of winter, because he knew that he would have Hot Hands or hot water bottles or any number of things to keep him warm, and Geno was always, always cold. Really, most of the warm weather guys would go out of their way to track down Mario, at least until word got around and the trainers started keeping stuff like that on hand for them. A lot of the trainers were warm weather as well, so it tended to work out alright. </p>
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                  <p>"Lexa, want to go outside," Nikita said before he tore towards the door at full speed. Alexa yelped and went after him. </p>
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                  <p>"Geno, he's worn her out," Sid said, shaking his shoulder and jostling Geno awake. </p>
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                  <p>Geno grumbled and stood, stretching. "Come on Nikusha, I take you outside to play, get you nice and tired," he said as he slipped his feet into his slides by the door. "Alexa, watch is through. Go be lazy for little bit." </p>
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                  <p>"Thanks Geno," Alexa said with a relieved sigh, practically collapsing down on one of the sofas. </p>
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                  <p>"The best kind of birth control is free birth control," Mario said as he tried to fast forward through the commercials of the game he had DVRed. The remote didn't quite work as expected and he cursed, putting on his glasses to get a better look at the buttons to make sure he was pressing the right ones. </p>
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                  <p>"I can't believe you would say that about your favorite child's darling son," Alexa gasped, sitting up and pressing a hand to her chest. </p>
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                  <p>Sidney balled up his sock and lobbed it at her head, and the sound she made was not of this world. She hurled it back his way and he laughed as he put it back on. </p>
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                  <p>"If my face rots off I am suing you for everything you've got, Crosby," she grumbled, rubbing her face on a throw pillow. </p>
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                  <p>"Alexa, can you set the steaks out of the fridge please?" Nathalie called from upstairs. </p>
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                  <p>"Austin needs to do it," Alexa called back. "He's who is in charge of dinner!" </p>
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                  <p>"Alexa, you..." </p>
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                  <p>"If you call your sister a<em> fille de joie </em>one more time..." </p>
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                  <p>Sid stood, yelling over all of them. "I'll do it, Nathalie! It's taken care of!" </p>
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                  <p>Alexa smirked as Sid set off to the kitchen, taking the platter of meat out of the fridge to let it rest on the counter. He saw movement in the backyard and saw Geno playing what appeared to be fetch with their son. Their son, who was a child and not a dog. </p>
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                  <p>Sid shook his head and laughed under his breath until he saw Niki pick up a stick that was twice as long as he was tall and tear off towards Geno, shrieking. "No," Sid groaned as he darted out the back door, hoping he made it in time to keep one them from getting hurt. </p>
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                  <p>Geno was most likely the one to get hurt, based on how loudly he was yelling. </p>
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